the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible
Isaiah 3:18
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Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
tinkling ornaments: Isaiah 3:16
cauls: or, networks, Shevisim probably the rich embroidered kerchiefs used to bind on their caps on the head, described by Lady M. W. Montague, Let. 32.
round tires: Judges 8:21, *marg.
Reciprocal: 2 Kings 9:30 - tired Esther 2:3 - their things Song of Solomon 1:10 - thy cheeks Ezekiel 23:40 - and deckedst Hosea 2:9 - take Zephaniah 1:8 - strange 1 Timothy 2:9 - not 1 Peter 3:3 - that
Cross-References
So the LORD God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
know for sure that the LORD your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become for you a snare and a trap, a scourge for your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land that the LORD your God has given you.
saying: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD."
The hungry consume his harvest, taking it even from the thorns; and the thirsty pant after his wealth.
then let briers grow instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley." Thus conclude the words of Job.
You return man to dust, saying, "Return, O sons of mortals."
He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,
Thorns and snares lie on the path of the perverse; he who guards his soul stays far from them.
Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of [their] tinkling ornaments [about their feet],.... With which they made a tinkling as they went, Isaiah 3:16 it being about the shoe, and made a noise; or seeing the word used signifies "stocks", and is so rendered Proverbs 7:22, it may design some sort of attire about the feet, as golden chains, as the Talmudists say t, which being fastened to both, directed their motion in walking, and prevented them taking too large steps: or rather these may intend some ornaments of the feet, used by the eastern nations; which, according to Golius, as related by De Dieu on the place, were plates of gold, one or two fingers broad, and sometimes four, which were put about the ankles of infants of rich families; not to make a tinkling, nor to direct their walk, but for ornament, and to distinguish them from the meaner sort. The Targum renders it, "the ornament of the shoes"; these were put about the place where the shoes were tied; and in the Talmud u the word is explained by קורדיקייה, "shoes"; which the gloss interprets of wooden shoes: the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, are, "the ornament of their clothing"; as if this was the general name for the particulars that follow:
and [their] cauls: the attire of the head, of network: the word is used in the Misnah v for the ornament of cauls; which was, as one of their commentators w says, a picture made upon the caul for ornament; it was placed upon the forehead, and reached from ear to ear; and it was made by itself, so that it might be removed, and put upon another caul. Under these cauls they plaited their hair; hence the Septuagint render the word "the plaiting and the curls"; and to the same purpose the Syriac and Arabic versions.
And [their] round tires like the moon; these were not tires for the head, as our version suggests; much less were they clasps, buckles, or strings for the shoes, in the form of a half moon; such as were the "lunuloe" which the Roman senators had on their feet, to distinguish them from the common people; and were used by Evander and the Arcadians, to show that they sprung from the moon; which custom the noblemen of Rome followed; and some say x they put them under their feet, see Revelation 12:1 but these were ornaments wore about the necks, such as those which were found upon the necks of the kings of Midian, and even upon the necks of their camels, Judges 8:21 where the same word is used as here; they were no other than bracelets, necklaces, or golden chains, in the form of the moon; and the word is in the Talmud y rendered עונקייה, "chains". See also footnote z.
t T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 63. 2. Maimon. in Misn. Sabbat, c. 6. sect. 4. u T. Hieros. Sabbat, fol. 8. 2. v Misn. Sabbat, c. 28. sect. 10. & Negaim, c. 11. sect. 11. w Bartenora in Misn. Sabbat, ib. x Vid. Scacch, Sacrer. Eleaochr. Myrothec. 1. c. 49. col. 248. y T. Hieros. Sabbat, fol. 8. 2. z Vid. Bynaeus de Calceis Heb. l. 1. c. 9.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
In that day - That is, in the time when he would inflict this exemplary punishment on them - probably the calamitous times of the Babylonian captivity.
The Lord will take away - By the agents that he shall choose to employ in this work. - The prophet proceeds to specify the various ornaments that composed the female apparel in his time. It is not easy to describe them particularly, nor is it necessary. The “general” meaning of the passage is plain: and it is clear from this, that they greatly abounded in ornaments.
The bravery - This word “we” apply to valor or courage. The word here used, however, meaus “ornament, adorning,” or “glory.”
Of their tinkling ornaments - This is the same word which is used in Isaiah 3:16, and refers to the chains or clasps with which they ornamented their feet and ankles, and which made a tinkling noise as they walked.
And their cauls - Margin, ‘net-works.’ The Septuagint is the same. It is commonly supposed to mean “caps of net-work” worn on the head. According to others, the word refers to small “suns” or “spangles” worn on the hair, answering to the following word “moons.” ‘The caul is a strap, or girdle, about four inches long, which is placed on the top of the head, and which extends to the brow, in a line with the nose. The one I have examined is made of gold, and has many joints; it contains forty-five rubies, and nine pearls, which give it a net-work appearance.’ - “Roberts.”
Their round tires like the moon - Hebrew “moons.” This refers to small ornaments in the shape of crescents, or half-moons, commonly worn on the neck. They were also sometimes worn by men, and even by camels; Judges 8:21 (margin), Judges 8:26. It is probable that these ornaments might originally have had some reference to the moon as an object of worship, but it does not appear that they were so worn by the females of Judea - They are still worn by the females of Arabia. - “Rosenmuller.” Roberts says of such ornaments in India, ‘The crescent is worn by Parvati and Siva, from whom proceed the lingam, and the principal impurities of the system. No dancing girl is in full dress without her round tires like the moon.’ This ornament is still found under the name of “chumarah.” ‘The chumarah, which signifies moon, is a splendid ornament worn by the women of western Asia in front of their head-dresses. It is usually made of gold, set with precious stones and pearls. They are sometimes made of the crescent form, but the most common are such as the engraving represents. They often have Arabic characters inscribed upon them, and sometimes a sentence from the Koran is used by the Mahometan women of Arabia Felix.’
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Isaiah 3:18. Ornaments about their feet - "The ornaments of the feet rings"] The late learned Dr. Hunt, professor of Hebrew and Arabic in the University of Oxford, has very well explained the word עכס both verb and noun, in his very ingenious Dissertation on Proverbs 7:22-23. The verb means to skip, to bound, to dance along; and the noun, those ornaments of the feet which the Eastern ladies wore; chains or rings, which made a tinkling sound as they moved nimbly in walking. Eugene Roger, Description de la Terre Sainte, Liv. ii. ch. 2, speaking of the Arabian women, of the first rank in Palestine, says, - "Au lieu de brasselets elles ont de menottes d'argent, qu'elles portent aux poignets et aux pieds; ou sont attachez quantite de petits annelets d'argent, qui font un cliquetis comme d'une cymbale, lorsqu'elles cheminent ou se mouvent quelque peu." See Dr. Hunt's Dissertation; where he produces other testimonies to the same purpose from authors of travels. Hindoo women of ill fame wear loose ornaments one above another on their ankles, which at every motion make a tinkling noise. See WARD.
And their cauls - "the net-works"] I am obliged to differ from the learned Schroederus almost at first setting out. He renders the word שביסים shebisim by soliculi, little ornaments, bullae, or studs, in shape representing the sun, and so answering to the following word שהרנים saharonim, lunulae, crescents. He supposes the word to be the same with שמישים shemishim, the י yod in the second syllable making the word diminutive, and the letter מ mem being changed for ב beth, a letter of the same organ. How just and well founded his authorities for the transmutation of these letters in the Arabic language are, I cannot pretend to judge; but as I know of no such instance in Hebrew, it seems to me a very forced etymology. Being dissatisfied with this account of the matter, I applied to my good friend above mentioned, the late Dr. Hunt, who very kindly returned the following answer to my inquiries: -
"I have consulted the Arabic Lexicons, as well MS. as printed, but cannot find שביסים shebisim in any of them, nor any thing belonging to it; so that no help is to be had from that language towards clearing up the meaning of this difficult word. But what the Arabic denies, the Syriac perhaps may afford; in which I find the verb שבש shabas, to entangle or interweave, an etymology which is equally favourable to our marginal translation, net-works, with שבץ shabats, to make chequer work, or embroider, (the word by which Kimchi and others have explained שביס shabis;) and has moreover this advantage over it, that the letters ש sin and ס samech are very frequently put for each other, but צ tsaddi and ס samech scarcely ever. Aben Ezra joins שביסים shebisim and עכסים achasim, which immediately precedes it, together; and says that שביס shabis was the ornament of the legs, as עכס eches was of the feet. His words are, שביס תכשיט של שוקים כמו עכס של רגלים - L."
